18 to 35s Essential Southern Thailand

About this trip

Exactly what you do each day, where you sleep, and how it flows — written by us, from the real itinerary.

1. 1
   Day 1 · BangkokBangkok

   

   Land in Bangkok, Thailand's sprawling capital, and settle in before a 6 pm welcome meeting. Arrive early to explore the city's markets, grab street food, or book a Thai massage. After introductions, head out for dinner with your group or hit the local nightlife spots your leader recommends.

2. 2
   Day 2 · BangkokBangkok - Overnight Train

   Explore Bangkok's highlights: Wat Pho, home to the famous 46-metre Reclining Buddha, and a nearby flower market. Spend the afternoon discovering other sites like the Grand Palace or Jim Thompson House at your own pace. Tonight, board an overnight train heading south to Surat Thani.

3. 3
   Day 3 · Koh SamuiKo Samui

   

   Arrive in Surat Thani, then catch a bus and ferry to Ko Samui. The island is yours to explore: beach-hop around the palm-fringed shores and coconut groves, or kick back and relax. Find dinner with new mates using your leader's recommendations.

4. 4
   Day 4 · Koh SamuiKo Samui

   Join a half-day guided island tour with your leader to see Wat Phra Yai, the 15-metre Big Buddha. Relax at Na Muang waterfalls in the afternoon. Ko Samui's decades-old reputation as a tourist hub means decent nightlife—hit the bars and clubs after a curry dinner.

5. 5
   Day 5 · Koh SamuiKo Samui

   Take a free day however you like: swim, sunbathe or explore. Optionally, tour Ang Thong Marine National Park's 40+ islands by slow or speedboat, swimming at Ko Mae and visiting Emerald Lake. Alternatively, visit Ko Tao or Ko Nang Yuan for quieter snorkelling, or spend time at Ko Samui's elephant sanctuary.

6. 6
   Day 6 · Koh SamuiKhao Sok National Park

   

   Leave Ko Samui early, ferrying to Don Sak Pier, then drive to Chiew Larn Lake. Board a traditional longtail boat to your raft house in Khao Sok National Park—the wettest spot in Thailand with ancient jungle. Watch for wild elephants, gibbons and langur monkeys. Join an evening safari by boat deep into the jungle.

7. 7
   Day 7 · Khao Sok National ParkKhao Sok National Park - Phuket

   

   Wake in the oldest evergreen rainforest on earth, your raft house nestled inside the park. Spot wildlife from a longtail boat through misty mornings, then hike the jungle—possibly finding waterfalls or panoramic viewpoints and glimpses of elephants, hornbills and langur monkeys. Head to Phuket, stopping at the Khao Lak Tsunami Memorial and Royal Thai Navy Sea Turtle Conservation Centre.

8. 8
   Day 8 · PhuketPhuket

   Your trip ends this morning with no scheduled activities. Leave your accommodation whenever you're ready, or speak to your booking agent about staying longer in Thailand.

What's included

• Guide: All group trips are accompanied by one of our group leader or local representative. The aim of the group leader or local representative is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced group leader or local representative however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your group leader or local representative is new to a particular region or training other group leader or local representative. Your group leader or local representative will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense, you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. At Intrepid we aim to support local guides who have specialised knowledge of the regions we visit. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your group leader or local representative can recommend a local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.
• Meals: 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 1 dinner
• Activities: Bangkok - Wat Pho Ko Samui - half day guided tour Khao Sok National Park – Longtail Boat Wildlife Safari Khao Sok National Park - Rafthouse Stay Khao Lak - Tsunami Memorial Phang Nga - Royal Thai Navy Sea Turtle Conservation Center Khao Sok National Park - Waterfall Hike
• Transport: OVERNIGHT TRAINS: Overnight sleeper trains in Thailand are air-conditioned and have sleeping berths down both sides of the carriage. The carriage is multishare, with are curtains that close over the beds. A sleeping sheet and a pillow are provided, and our luggage travels in the carriage with us. There is a western and Asian-style toilet located at the end of the carriage, but no showers. Carriage lights staying on during the night, so an eye mask is a good thing to bring with you, as is warm clothes as the air conditioning can be cold. For more on overnight trains in Thailand and around the world: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/overnight-train-travel-around-the-world/ Boat, Ferry, Public bus, Private vehicle, Overnight sleeper train
• Accommodation: OCCASIONAL ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION: The style of accommodation indicated in the Itinerary is a guideline. On rare occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our usual accommodation. A similar standard of accommodation will be used in these instances. TWIN SHARE: Accommodation on this trip is on a twin share basis, unless otherwise stated in the Itinerary. There may be times when facilities are shared, rather than ensuite, which will also be mentioned in the Itinerary if applicable. CHECK-IN TIME: Throughout the trip we request that hotels prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination before checking in. PRE/POST TRIP ACCOMMODATION: If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (subject to availability), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights. Hotel (2 nights), Overnight sleeper train (1 night), Resort (3 nights) Rafthouse (1 night)

How travellers rate it

Your free day in Bangkok

Landing early, staying on, or filling free time? The best-rated day experiences in Bangkok — you book on Viator (we may earn a commission).

5Young crowd

Bangkok Food tour +15 Authentic Thai Culinary Gems

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Timeless Thonburi Canal and Food Tour

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Bangkok Market Tour & Thai Cooking Class with Boat Ride with Aoy

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Thai Cooking Class at Tingly Thai Cooking School in Bangkok

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Common questions